Mail-bag holder.



J. HUNEKE.

MAIL BAG HOLDER.

APPLICATION FILED JAN- I3, 1913- 1 1 52,8 1 6 Patented Sept. 7, 1915.

WII-In.

nivrirnn sra'rns Parana? orat on JOHN HUNEKE, on oi-iroaeo, ILLINoIs,nssrenon T0 cox MULTI-IVIAILER COMPANY,

or AUGUSTA, MAINE, A CORPORATION or MAINE.

MAIL-BAG HOLDER.

Application filed January 13, 1913'.

T all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN HUNEKE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Mailag Holders, of whichthe following is a specification.

This invention relates to a device for holding a number of mail bags,both in a compressed and in a distended position so that a number ofbags may be supported by the holder in position to be extended whilesome of the bags are held in distended position.

One of the principal objects of the invention is to provide an improved,simple and strong device of the class described which occupies a minimumof space, which is readily accessible from all sides and which iseffective and efiicient in operation.

For the attainment of these ends and the accon'iplishment of other newand useful objects, as will appear, the invention consists in thefeatures of novelty in the construction, combination and arrangement ofthe several parts generally shown in the drawing and described in thespecification, but more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawing Figure 1 is a side elevation of a holder constructed inaccordance with the principles of my invention, showing also theposition of a single mail bag in dotted outline. Fig. 2 is a plan viewof the device illustrated by Fig. 1, a portion of the top thereof beingremoved to disclose the bottom support. Fig. 3 is a detail view of thebottom support construction. Fig. 4 is a detail View of the mail bagholders.

In sorting mail, it is customary to have a plurality of mail bagsarranged in proximity in distended position so that the separate parcelsmay be readily sorted and placed in the proper mail bag, and as it iscustomary to economize space which is employed for this purpose as muchas possible, it is desirable that the mail bags in their distendedposition shall occupy the minimum of space. It is also desirable thatthe mail bags shall be so disposed that they may be readily opened andplaced in distended position as soon as one of the bags becomes filled.The present inventionrelates to a device which accomplishes theseresults and in which the separate bags in their distended Specificationof Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 7, H5 15.

Serial No. 741,662.

positions are readily accessible,and easily removable.

Referring. now more particularly to the drawing, and in the presentexemplification of the invention, the holder comprises an upper support6 and a lower support 7 which are suitablyconnected to each other andspaced apart by a hollow standard 8. Thesupports 6 and 7 may be formedintegral with the standard or secured thereto in any desired or suitablemanner, and their distance apart is substantially the height of a mailbag which it desired to use in con nection with the holder. 1 The entiredevice is rotatably mounted by means of a shaft 9 which preferablyextends upwardly into the hollow standard 8, so that the entire holderis freely rotatable about the shaft in either direction. p

The upper support comprises a plurality of radially extending arms 10 atthe outer ends of which, preferably on both sides thereof, are disposedhooks 11. Preferably,

the supports and the standard are constructed of metal so that the armsare channel shaped in formation, as shown by Fig. 1, and the peripheryof the hub portion between the arms is turned down, as shown at 12 inFig. 1, to provide means for attaching a plurality of rods 13 theretowhich extend in the same direction and parallel with the sides ofthearms 10 and adjacent the arms on both sides. These rods 13 may besecured to the support 6 in any desired or suitable manner, such forexample, as that shown in detail by Fig. a, in which it will be seenthat the rods are threaded at 14 and inserted through'an opening in thedepending portion 12 of the support 6 with nuts 15 movable on thethreaded portion on both sides of the depending portion 12 to hold therod firmly in position. The rods are also provided with a turned upportion 16 at the other end thereof to prevent the member from slippingoff at the end.

The bottom support 7 comprises a plurality of radially extending arms 17of the same or a difierent number as the arms in the top support, anddisposed between the adjacent arms are members 18 secured to the arms inany suitable manner, as for example, by rivets 19. These members 18 arepreferably of thin sheet metal or any other suitable material. Ifdesired, the base support may be formed as a solid piece, the

object being merely to provide a support for the bottoms of the mailbags.

Inuse and in operation as a support for mail bags, the hooks of the mailbags are disposed over the rods 13, and a number a number of mail bagsin this position.

The outermost mail bag upon any pair of rods may be distended for use byhooking the mail bag over the hooks 11 at the outer ends of the arms andleaving the hooks by which the bag is supported still upon the rods. Assoon as this bag becomes filled or as soon as it is desired to removethe bag it may readily be removed and the next'bag distended by hookingit over the hooks 11. It will be evident that a number of bags may thusbe readily distended and removed from any pair of supporting rods.

The holder is made rotatable as'described in the present exemplificationof the invention so that access may be had to all of the mail bags fortheir removal and extension, with the least possible exertion. It isobvious, however, that such a device may be made non-rotatable or, ifdesired, the arms may be spaced apart in a single row with the bagsupporting rods between them.

What I claim is:

1. A mail bag holder comprising arms spaced apart, rods paralleltherewith, and hooks at the ends of the arms, the rods and the hooksbeing adapted to hold and distend mail bags.

2. A mail bag holder comprising arms spaced apart, rods paralleltherewith, and hooks at the ends of the arms, the rods being adapted tosupport the mail bags and the hooks being disposed to maintain the mailbags in distended position when supported by the rods.

3. A mail bag'holder comprising a suptending bottom support spaced fromand corresponding with the top supportsubstan tially the distance of theheightof a mail ba a. A mail bag holder comprising a rotatable standardwith two sets of radially disposed arms spaced apart about the height ofa mail bag, members secured to the bottom arms forming a support for thebottoms of the mail bags, and means in connection with the upper armsand the standard for holding the bags in upright position with themouths distended between the arms.

7. In a mail bag holder of the class described, the combination with atop support comprising a plurality of radially extending arms, of rodsthreaded upon one end and bent upwardly at the other end, means tosecure said rods removably to said support, hooks disposed in the endsof said arms to distend a mail bag supported upon said rods,

a standard to which said support is secured, a second support secured tothe standard and spaced from the first mentioned-support, and means tosupport the standard for free rotation in either direction.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses, on this 9th'da of January A. D.1913;

7 JOHN HUNEKE.

Witnesses CHARLES L. KUEHNL, K. W. WONNELL.

p of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing theCommissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

